Romo and The Cowboys Will Show Up Big Against The Eagles

The 8-3 Dallas Cowboys…has a nice ring to it doesn’t it, Cowboys Nation? Well here we are, and there it is. The Cowboys are a contender, and that reality is just now setting in for a lot of people outside of Cowboys Nation. With every win, the Cowboys silence doubters and naysayers.

And with every passing week the Cowboys believe in themselves more and more. And on Thanksgiving Day, the Cowboys can really show the world that the NFC East is there’s, and that they are a force to be reckoned with, no matter who they play.

Thanksgiving Tony?…

Tony Romo will never get the respect he deserves as a big game QB and a clutch performer as long as he doesn’t have a great playoff run and ultimately wins a Super Bowl as Cowboys quarterback. Romo is as clutch as they comes with his 27 game winning drives in either the 4^th quarter or overtime since 2006, which is the most among active quarterbacks.

So this “Romo isn’t clutch” narrative that low IQ football fans have is not only a myth, but quite comical. And luckily for Dallas, he performs his best in November and on Thanksgiving Day. Tony Romo is 16-1 at home in the month of November and is 6-1 on Thanksgiving Day. The sole loss coming to the Washington Redskins in 2012. His passer rating in Thanksgiving games is 108.2, and he’s usually lights out as the numbers show.

But this time around, Romo is playing a division rival who’s playing some damn good football, the Philadelphia Eagles. This may be Romo’s toughest test of the season. The Eagles are 8-3 and on top of the NFC East. This division battle will have all eyes on Dallas come Thursday afternoon. The good thing for Romo is that he has some things working in his favor against the Eagles. The Eagles are 30^th in pass defense which won’t be good when playing Romo who’s been efficient this season.

Courtesy of hulkshare.com

Romo has 22 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions with a QBR of 111.4, which is only second to Aaron Rodgers. And in his last 3 starts against the Eagles he is 3-0 and has a 105.8 passer rating. He likes playing against Philly. And Romo has looked great in his last two starts this season against the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants.

If Romo can continue playing at such an efficient level, and the offensive line can keep him upright, the Eagles who are already missing their stud linebacker DeMeco Ryans, and may be without Line Backer Emmanuel Acho, the Eagles will have to be on top of their game to stop Tony Romo who’s added the sneaky good Cole Beasley to his arsenal.

The Cowboys should be confident going into this game. The formula Dallas has been using all season long must continue in order for the Cowboys to win and go atop the division.

The Offensive Line Needs To Be Great For The Defense…

The reason for the Cowboys success is due largely in part to the Offensive line being absolutely lights out this season. The Dallas O-Line is regarded as one of the best in the league alongside the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos. The line keeps Romo from getting slaughtered, and has DeMarco Murray looking like the best running back in the league.

The line is playing so well that on the Cowboys game winning drive against the Giants, Romo had time to catch a flight back to Dallas and back again before the Giants could even get close to him:

The amazing thing is that O-Line is not only responsible for the offense playing well, but also the defense. The Cowboys defense has punched well above their weight this season and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli should be commended. But the longer the defense stays off the field, the fresher they are all game long.

The Cowboys are playing well but against the Giants they were getting abused in the secondary, and against a Chip Kelly offense that likes to score in a hurry and use up all the game time possible, that won’t go well at all. Brandon Carr is having a terrible season, and this catch by Odell Beckham Jr., which may be the greatest catch I’ve ever seen, will have him on the wrong end of highlight reels for eternity:

Carr is having a nightmare season and with Morris Claiborne out, he’s the Cowboys best option on the other side of Orlando Scandrick against the Eagles. Scandrick also had his worst game of the season against the Giants, but Scandrick has been great all year so that game was just an outlier.

Scandrick and Carr will have to be at their best even thought they’ll be facing a back-up quarterback in Mark Sanchez. As long as the Cowboys defensive line can get pressure on Sanchez and force three and outs, the Cowboys defense will look like the defense we all saw in the second half against the Giants. The Name of the game is to keep that high-powered fast-paced Chip Kelly offense off the field as much as possible.

Both teams are on short rest so there should be no excuses for the Cowboys on Thursday. This is another big game, against a division opponent, and with a win, the Cowboys will prove once again they are a legit contender in the NFC.

With the way the Cowboys and Tony Romo annually handle business on Thanksgiving Day and the month of November, the Cowboys should pull this victory out. The stage is yours Mr. Romo, and the world will be watching.

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